Interest in becoming a rental landlord has declined in almost every major UK city over the past year, with searches falling in all but one location analyzed.
This is evident from research by Emoov, which found that Cambridge is the only city in Britain seeing a growing interest in buy-to-let investments.
Looking for buy-to-let rose 23.5% year-over-year in the city, bucking a national trend of declining demand in every other location surveyed.
After Cambridge, Plymouth recorded the strongest performance, with demand falling by just 2.9%.
Poole (-5.3%) and Southampton (-5.7%) were among the locations that remained relatively stable, while most UK cities saw a much steeper decline.
| Top 10 Average Searches for ‘Buy to Let Landlords’ | |||
| City | June 2024-May 2025 | May 2025 – June 2026 | % Change |
| Cambridge | 2,380 | 2,940 | 23.50% |
| Plymouth | 8,720 | 8,470 | -2.90% |
| Pool | 5,830 | 5,520 | -5.30% |
| Southampton | 5,060 | 4,770 | -5.70% |
| Derby | 6,380 | 5,920 | -7.20% |
| Lichfield | 4,210 | 3,900 | -7.40% |
| Sunderland | 3,430 | 3,170 | -7.60% |
| Chichester | 4,580 | 4,180 | -8.70% |
| Exeter | 3,640 | 3,320 | -8.80% |
| Norwich | 7,510 | 6,760 | -10.00% |
Birmingham also saw a decline of 33.33%, followed by London with a decline of 41.7%.
Carlisle saw the biggest drop in interest rates at 59.1%.
| Top 10 average searches for ‘Buy to let landlords’ | |||
| City | June 2024-May 2025 | June 2025-May 2026 | % Change |
| Carlisle | 3,910 | 1,600 | -59.10% |
| London | 99,930 | 58,220 | -41.70% |
| Birmingham | 22,400 | 14,940 | -33.30% |
| Blackpool | 3,670 | 2,450 | -33.20% |
| Wakefield | 5,540 | 3,860 | -30.30% |
| Nottingham | 4,710 | 3,380 | -28.20% |
| Milton Keynes | 7,070 | 5,100 | -27.90% |
| Canterbury | 3,240 | 2,350 | -27.50% |
| Ripon | 2,310 | 1,690 | -26.80% |
| Colchester | 4,400 | 3,270 | -25.70% |